Patterns and costs of health-care utilisation in Australian children: The first 5 years.

AIM: To describe patterns of health-care utilisation and costs of a cohort of Australian children in the first 5 years of life and to investigate demographic factors associated with high health-care utilisation. METHODS: This was a secondary data analysis of prospectively linked health-care utilisation data, including primary and secondary health-care consults, hospitalisations and emergency. The subjects were 350 children from a disadvantaged area of Sydney. Outcomes were the frequency and cost of all health-care consults from birth to 5 years of age. Multivariable logistic regression examined the odds of being a high health-care user in relation to child and family characteristics. RESULTS: Children had more health-care consults and higher annual health-care costs in the first 2 years of life (mean 12 health-care visits per year, mean cost Australian dollars (AUD) 1400 per child) than in the next 3 years (8 visits per year, AUD 900 per child). Primary care consults formed 86% of all health-care encounters but only contributed to 30% of the total costs. Factors positively associated with frequent use of health care in the first 2 years of life included being male, mother not married/de facto and annual household income of less than AUD 40000. Frequent users mostly accessed primary care services. There was no association between demographic factors and frequent use of health care in years 3-5 of life. CONCLUSIONS: Children from low-income or single-parent families may require additional support services during the first 2 years of life. Maintaining or increasing access to free or very low-cost primary health-care services for disadvantaged families will promote equity in health.

Improving hospital death certification in Vietnam: results of a pilot study of injury-related fatalities.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam has prioritised the establishment of a civil registration system for deaths but as yet is unable to report accurate national statistics for the population of 93.5 million people due to inadequate mortality data. Verbal autopsy data suggest that injury is a third leading cause of death (by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision chapters) in Vietnam, with road traffic injuries in particular a significant and increasing challenge. The study aims to present a more accurate profile of the number and probable causes of these deaths based on data collected hospitals using a version of the WHO death certificate modified for the Vietnamese context. METHODS: Death data collected from Viet Duc Surgical and Trauma Hospital in Vietnam between 1 March 2013 to 31 March 2015 was analysed to explore the number and probable causes of deaths for deaths resulting from an injury. RESULTS: A total of 1616 deaths were recorded for Viet Duc Hospital, of which 73% (1181/1616) were associated with an injury. Most (83%; n=871/1049) injury-related deaths for which immediate cause of death was documented were as a result of head/brain injuries. Injury-related deaths were most commonly caused by from traffic accidents (72%, 853/1181). The majority of patients suffering injury-related deaths were discharged home to die (93%, 1097/1181). CONCLUSION: The study confirms some findings from previous studies about deaths from injuries, while disagreeing with others, highlighting the challenge for Vietnam in collecting these data. Gathering detailed death data provides essential evidence on which to base decisions about allocation of government funding and policy for injury prevention and treatment.

Behind the Wheel: Process Evaluation of a Safe-Transport Program for Older Drivers Delivered in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This process evaluation explores relationships between program outcomes and intervention implementation in a trial evaluating "Behind the Wheel," an education-based safe-transport program for older drivers. Participants (intervention group) were 190 Sydney drivers aged ⩾75 years (M = 80 ± 4years). Process measures included fidelity, dose delivered, and received. Outcomes were self-reported driving regulation and objectively measured driving exposure. Relationships were explored using regression models. Older drivers who took ownership of driving retirement and self-regulation by developing plans were more likely to reduce their weekly driving, (ß = 38 km, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [7.5,68.7]), and night driving (ß = 7 km, 95% CI = [3.5, 10.4]). Drivers of older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.1/year older, 95% CI = [1.05, 1.3]) had greater odds of developing driving retirement plans. Female drivers (OR = 2.7,95% CI = [1.1, 6.9]), drivers with poorer function (OR = 1.2/5-point decrease on DriveSafe, 95% CI = [1.04, 1.4]), and worse health (OR = 1.2/additional medication, 95% CI = [1.02, 1.5]) had greater odds of developing safe mobility plans. This program had greatest impact with older, lower functioning drivers. A stronger message was delivered and received, as intended, to older drivers with lower function and poorer health. Our logic model can help channel resources to drivers who benefit most.

Sex differences evident in self-reported but not objective measures of driving.

It has been consistently reported that women self-regulate their driving more than men. Volunteer drivers aged 75 years and older from the suburban outskirts of Sydney, Australia joined a longitudinal study in 2012-2014. GPS in-vehicle monitoring was used to objectively measure driving and surveys of driving patterns. The study included 343 drivers (203/343, 59% men) with an average age of 80 years. Our results revealed that men were 3.85 times more likely to report driving beyond their local shire during the past year (95% CI 2.03-5.72) and 1.81 times more likely to report that they do not avoid night driving (95% CI 1.21-3.22). In contrast sex was not predictive of any objective measure of driving during a one-week period of monitoring. These findings suggest that men and women report different self-regulation practices but that actual driving exposure is quite similar. These findings can inform strategies to promote safe mobility.

Effects of a Safe Transportation Educational Program for Older Drivers on Driving Exposure and Community Participation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain whether a safe-transportation program can change driving exposure while maintaining community participation of older drivers. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Northwest Sydney. PARTICIPANTS: Drivers aged 75 and older (mean 80 ± 4) (n = 380). INTERVENTION: Intervention group participated in an individualized, one-on-one safe-transportation program adapted from the Knowledge Enhances Your Safety curriculum. A registered occupational therapist delivered the intervention in two sessions held approximately 1 month apart. MEASUREMENTS: An in-vehicle monitoring device hardwired into participants' vehicles measured driving exposure. Community participation was measured using the Keele Assessment of Participation. A staging algorithm based on the Precaution Adoption Process Model measured behavior change toward increased and sustained driving self-regulation. Main outcomes were distance driven per week over 12 months and community participation. Secondary outcomes were behavior change, depressive symptoms, and alternate transportation use. Generalized estimating equations were used to model effect on driving exposure, adjusting for weekly measures, and ordinal regression was used to analyze differences in behavior change profiles between groups using an intention-to-treat approach. RESULTS: Participants were randomized after baseline assessment-190 each to the intervention and control groups. One hundred eighty-three of 190 completed the intervention and 366 of 380 completed the study. On average, participants drove 140 ± 167 km/wk. Although there was no significant difference between the groups in distance driven per week over 12 months (between-group difference -5.5 km, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -24.5-13.5 km, p = .57), intervention group participants showed greater readiness to engage in self-regulatory driving practices, such as reporting avoiding driving at night or at rush hours, than control group participants (odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.3, P = .02). At 12 months, use of alternate transportation was similar (between-group difference 0.1, 95% CI = -1.4-1.6, P = .90). Although there was no difference in community participation (between-group difference -0.1, 95% CI = -0.6-0.3, P = .59), older drivers with low function in the intervention group were 3.1 times as likely to report depressive symptoms (95% CI = 1.04-9.2, P = .04) than those with low function in the control group. CONCLUSION: An individualized safe-transportation program can promote behavior change but did not translate to significant differences in weekly mileage after 12 months. Longer follow-up may detect changes over time.

Perils of using speed zone data to assess real-world compliance to speed limits.

OBJECTIVE: Real-world driving studies, including those involving speeding alert devices and autonomous vehicles, can gauge an individual vehicle's speeding behavior by comparing measured speed with mapped speed zone data. However, there are complexities with developing and maintaining a database of mapped speed zones over a large geographic area that may lead to inaccuracies within the data set. When this approach is applied to large-scale real-world driving data or speeding alert device data to determine speeding behavior, these inaccuracies may result in invalid identification of speeding. We investigated speeding events based on service provider speed zone data. METHODS: We compared service provider speed zone data (Speed Alert by Smart Car Technologies Pty Ltd., Ultimo, NSW, Australia) against a second set of speed zone data (Google Maps Application Programming Interface [API] mapped speed zones). RESULTS: We found a systematic error in the zones where speed limits of 50-60 km/h, typical of local roads, were allocated to high-speed motorways, which produced false speed limits in the speed zone database. The result was detection of false-positive high-range speeding. Through comparison of the service provider speed zone data against a second set of speed zone data, we were able to identify and eliminate data most affected by this systematic error, thereby establishing a data set of speeding events with a high level of sensitivity (a true positive rate of 92% or 6,412/6,960). CONCLUSIONS: Mapped speed zones can be a source of error in real-world driving when examining vehicle speed. We explored the types of inaccuracies found within speed zone data and recommend that a second set of speed zone data be utilized when investigating speeding behavior or developing mapped speed zone data to minimize inaccuracy in estimates of speeding.

Predictors of older drivers' involvement in high-range speeding behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Even small increases in vehicle speed raise crash risk and resulting injury severity. Older drivers are at increased risk of involvement in casualty crashes and injury compared to younger drivers. However, there is little objective evidence about older drivers' speeding. This study investigates the nature and predictors of high-range speeding among drivers aged 75-94 years. METHODS: Speed per second was estimated using Global Positioning System devices installed in participants' vehicles. High-range speeding events were defined as traveling an average 10+km/h above the speed limit over 30 seconds. Descriptive analysis examined speeding events by participant characteristics and mileage driven. Regression analyses were used to examine the association between involvement in high-range speeding events and possible predictive factors. RESULTS: Most (96%, 182/190) participants agreed to have their vehicle instrumented, and speeding events were accurately recorded for 97% (177/182) of participants. While 77% (136/177) of participants were involved in one or more high-range events, 42% (75/177) were involved in greater than five events during 12-months of data collection. Participants involved in high-range events drove approximately twice as many kilometres as those not involved. High-range events tended to be infrequent (median = 6 per 10,000 km; IQR = 2-18). The rate of high-range speeding was associated with better cognitive function and attention to the driving environment. CONCLUSION: This suggests those older drivers with poorer cognition and visual attention may drive more cautiously, thereby reducing their high-range speeding behavior.

Improving hospital death certification in Viet Nam: results of a pilot study implementing an adapted WHO hospital death report form in two national hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Viet Nam does not have a system for the national collection of death data that meets international requirements for mortality reporting. It is identified as a 'no-report' country by the WHO. Verbal autopsy reports are used in the community but exclude deaths in hospitals. METHODS: This project was undertaken in Bach Mai National General Hospital and Viet Duc Surgical and Trauma Hospital in Viet Nam from 1 March 2013 to 31 March 2015. In phase 1, a modified hospital death report form, consistent with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, was developed. Small group training in use of the report form was delivered to 427 doctors. In phase two, death data were collected, collated and analysed. In phase three, a random sample (7%) of all report forms was checked for accuracy and completeness against medical records. FINDINGS: During the 23 months of the study, 3956 deaths were recorded. Across both hospitals, 222 distinct causes of deaths were recorded. Traumatic cerebral oedema was the immediate cause of death (15% of cases, 575/3956 patients), followed by septic shock (13%, 528/3956), brain compression (11%, 416/3956), intracerebral haemorrhage (8%, 336/3956) and pneumonia (5%, 186/3956); 67% (2639/3956) of patients were discharged home to die and 33% (1314/3956) of deaths were due to a road traffic accident, or injury at home or at work. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the viability of implementing a death report form system compliant with international standards in hospitals in Viet Nam and provides the foundation for introducing a national death report form scheme. These data are critical to comprehensive knowledge of causes of death in Viet Nam. Death data about patients discharged home to die is presented for the first time, with implications for countries where this is a cultural preference.

Naturalistic speeding data: Drivers aged 75 years and older.

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "A longitudinal investigation of the predictors of older drivers׳ speeding behavior" (Chevalier et al., 2016) [1], wherein these speed events were used to investigate older drivers speeding behavior and the influence of cognition, vision, functional decline, and self-reported citations and crashes on speeding behavior over a year of driving. Naturalistic speeding behavior data were collected for up to 52 weeks from volunteer drivers aged 75-94 years (median 80 years, 52% male) living in the suburban outskirts of Sydney. Driving data were collected using an in-vehicle monitoring device. Global Positioning System (GPS) data were recorded at each second and determined driving speed through triangulation of satellite collected location data. Driving speed data were linked with mapped speed zone data based on a service-provider database. To measure speeding behavior, speed events were defined as driving 1 km/h or more, with a 3% tolerance, above a single speed limit, averaged over 30 s. The data contains a row per 124,374 speed events. This article contains information about data processing and quality control.

Early childhood obesity: Association with healthcare expenditure in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether overweight or obesity among children (aged 2 to ≤5 years) is associated with direct healthcare costs, after adjusting for child, household, and socioeconomic characteristics. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort analysis was performed in 350 children aged 2 years assessed over 3 years of follow-up. Child weight status was determined from mean BMI z-scores at 2, 3.5, and 5 years, and healthcare utilization including medicines, nonhospital, hospital, and emergency care was determined by data linkage. Using adjusted multivariable regression analyses, the relationship between total 3-year healthcare costs and weight status was examined. Observations took place in Sydney, Australia, between 2011 and 2014. RESULTS: After adjustment for significant maternal and sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare costs of children with obesity (BMI z-score >2SD) were 1.62 (95% CI 1.12-2.34, P = 0.01) times those of children with healthy weight. However, costs of overweight children were similar to those of healthy weight (P = 0.96). The additional 3-year costs of healthcare for a child with obesity compared with healthy weight were $AUD 825 (95% CI $135-$2,117) for general patients and $AUD 1332 (95% CI $174-$4,280) for concession card holders. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention of obesity in early childhood may have concurrent benefits in reducing healthcare expenditure.

A longitudinal investigation of the predictors of older drivers' speeding behaviour.

There is little objective evidence about the extent older drivers' are involved in speeding or factors that may influence this behaviour. Particular concern exists for the increasing number of older drivers with poor or declining cognitive and visual function. This study investigates whether a reduction in speeding forms part of the self-restrictive driving behaviour evident when older drivers experience poor cognitive and visual function. Driving data over 12 months were collected from 182 volunteers aged 75-94years. Driving speed was estimated using Global Positioning System location, and speed limit data was based on a service-provider database. Speed events were defined as driving 1km/h or more, with 3% tolerance, above a single speed limit, averaged over 30s. Almost all participants (99%) were involved in speed events. While, 16-31% of participants experienced a meaningful decline in cognitive or visual function during the 12-months, these declines were not predictive of a change in speed events. Our results indicate speeding behaviour in this age group was highly prevalent, but less so for the oldest drivers whereby the rate of speed events was 7% lower per year older (IRR=0.93, 95%CI=0.89-0.96). Older drivers with worse function were less involved in speed events (unadjusted for distance driven) during 12 months of observation. Weekly distance driven decreased over the year by approximately 0.45km with every week of monitoring for these older drivers. When distance driven was taken into account, decreased function was not predictive of involvement in speed events, indicating the reduction in speed events may be achieved by older drivers with lower function reducing distance driven. These results are important for developing policy to address speeding behaviour of the growing population of older drivers to reduce the incidence of crashes and resulting casualties.

Naturalistic rapid deceleration data: Drivers aged 75 years and older.

The data presented in this article are related to the research manuscript "Predictors of older drivers' involvement in rapid deceleration events", which investigates potential predictors of older drivers' involvement in rapid deceleration events including measures of vision, cognitive function and driving confidence (A. Chevalier et al., 2016) [1]. In naturalistic driving studies such as this, when sample size is not large enough to allow crashes to be used to investigate driver safety, rapid deceleration events may be used as a surrogate safety measure. Naturalistic driving data were collected for up to 52 weeks from 182 volunteer drivers aged 75-94 years (median 80 years, 52% male) living in the suburban outskirts of Sydney. Driving data were collected using an in-vehicle monitoring device. Accelerometer data were recorded 32 times per second and Global Positioning System (GPS) data each second. To measure rapid deceleration behavior, rapid deceleration events (RDEs) were defined as having at least one data point at or above the deceleration threshold of 750 milli-g (7.35 m/s2). All events were constrained to a maximum 5 s duration. The dataset provided with this article contains 473 events, with a row per RDE. This article also contains information about data processing, treatment and quality control. The methods and data presented here may assist with planning and analysis of future studies into rapid deceleration behaviour using in-vehicle monitoring.

Behind the Wheel: Predictors of Driving Exposure in Older Drivers.

OBJECTIVES: To explore and deepen understanding of factors influencing driving exposure for older drivers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Baseline data on function and driving exposure from 1 week of driving were evaluated. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 380 drivers aged 75 and older, residing in northwest Sydney, was recruited. Participants were required to be the primary drivers of their own vehicle. MEASUREMENTS: Driver function was evaluated using the DriveSafe and DriveAware clinic-based assessments to measure visual attention to the driving environment and awareness of driving ability. Demographic information was obtained through interview. An in-vehicle monitoring device with data logger and GPS receiver, was used to measure driving exposure in 362 of 380 participants' vehicles. Driving exposure outcomes were total distance driven, furthest distance traveled from home, and average trip length. Factors influencing these exposure outcomes were analyzed using generalized linear regression. RESULTS: Drivers typically drove 100 km in local and surrounding areas during the week. Function was predictive of all driving exposure outcomes. Drivers with lower levels of function drove fewer kilometers and took shorter trips closer to home. Age, health status, and personal circumstance (e.g., rural residence) also influenced exposure, but sex did not. CONCLUSION: Using objective measures, this study provides evidence that function, age, health status, and personal circumstance influence driving exposure of older drivers. Understanding how older people use driving to preserve their independence is important for exploring safe driving strategies for older people.

Reações adversas a medicamentos na cavidade bucal de idosos / Adverse reactions caused by drugs in the oral cavity of the elderly / Reacciones adversas a medicamentos en la cavidad bucal de ancianos

Os indivíduos com idade avançada consomem maior número de medicações e, como consequência, surgem reações adversas frequentes a essas drogas, inclusive na cavidade bucal. O objetivo é verificar as reações adversas na cavidade oral relacionadas aos medicamentos, a fim de que sejam diagnosticadas corretamente e se executem ações que as reduzam ou eliminem. Como metodologia, nesta revisão, foram buscados artigos originais relatando estas reações em idosos, em inglês, português e espanhol, publicados de 2000 a 2018, usando-se termos relevantes ao tema, publicados on-line nas bases de dados dos periódicos da CAPES. Os artigos foram selecionados após leitura dos seus títulos e resumos efetuando-se, a seguir, leitura completa dos mesmos. Os Resultados mostram que, entre os 12 artigos selecionados, tivemos: 6 (50%) sobre xerostomia; 2 (17%) com ulcerações orais consequentes ao nicorandil; 2 (17%) com osteonecrose da mandíbula (bifosfonato e bevacizumab, um em cada); e 1 (8,3%) com ageusia (associada a romidepsin); e 1 (8,3%) com candidíase (associada a corticoide inalatório). Concluiu-se que o idoso requer atenção redobrada durante as consultas médicas e procedimentos odontológicos, em razão da associação de diferentes doenças crônicas e o uso contínuo de diversas medicações. Há necessidade de maior número de publicações focando este tema neste grupo etário, principalmente naqueles indivíduos mais longevos.

Introduction: The individuals with advanced age are the ones who consume the greatest number of medications and, as consequence, adverse reactions to these drugs often occur, including in the oral cavity. Objective: These drug-related manifestations deserve attention of health professionals so that they are properly diagnosed and actions are taken to reduce or eliminate them. Material and methods: In this article, we reviewed original articles, published from 2000 to 2018, reporting these reactions in elderly patients. Articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish were searched, using terms relevant to the topic, published online in the CAPES journals databases. The articles were selected after reading their titles and summaries and, then, the complete articles. Results: Among the 12 articles showing adverse drug reactions in the oral cavity of the elderly, we had: 6 (50%) with xerostomia and its consequences; 2 (17%) with oral ulcerations consequent to the use of nicorandil; 2 (17%) with osteonecrosis of the mandible (bisphosphonate and bevacizumab, one in each); and 1 (8.3%) with ageusia (associated with romidepsin) and 1 (8.3%) with oral candidiasis (associated with inhaled corticosteroids). Conclusion: The elderly require increased attention during medical consultations and dental procedures, due to the association of different chronic diseases and the continuous use of several medications. There is a need for a greater number of publications focusing on this theme in this age group, especially in those longevous senior individuals.

Los individuos con edad avanzada consumen mayor número de medicamentos y, como consecuencia, surgen reacciones adversas frecuentes a estos fármacos, incluso en la cavidad bucal. El objetivo es verificar las reacciones adversas en la cavidad oral relacionadas con los medicamentos, a fin de que sean diagnosticadas correctamente y se ejecuten acciones que las reduzcan o eliminen. La metodología de esta revisión se buscaron artículos originales que informaron estas reacciones en las personas mayores, en inglés, portugués y español, publicados desde 2000 hasta 2018, si el uso de términos relacionados con el tema, publicados en línea en las bases de datos CAPES periódicas. Los artículos fueron seleccionados después de leer sus títulos y resúmenes efectuando, a continuación, lectura completa de los mismos. Los resultados muestran que, entre los 12 artículos seleccionados, tuvimos: 6 (50%) sobre xerostomía; 2 (17%) con ulceraciones orales consecuentes al nicorandil; 2 (17%) con osteonecrosis de la mandíbula (bifosfonato y bevacizumab, uno en cada uno); y 1 (8,3%) con ageusia (asociada a romidepsin); y 1 (8,3%) con candidiasis (asociada a corticoides inhalados). Se concluyó que el anciano requiere atención redoblada durante las consultas médicas y procedimientos odontológicos, en razón de la asociación de diferentes enfermedades crónicas y el uso continuo de diversas medicaciones. Hay necesidad de mayor número de publicaciones enfocando este tema en este grupo de edad, principalmente en aquellos individuos más longevos.